Playgroup

Our ward is very good at having a playgroup every Friday. I went today for the sake of being social and meeting new people. It was a good choice. It certainly beats being a hermit and holing up in the apartment. Especially since it's 76 degrees today after several days stuck in the 20's and 30's.

But the truth is, sometimes I'd rather hole up in the apartment and not shower or get dressed or put on makeup or show the world I exist. Today was one of those days. The unfortunate thing about the holing-up method is it's just plain not the Lord's way. You can only do so much to reach out, "hasten the work," and "lose your life" while staying in alone with your one-year-old.

And so, I go to playgroup.

Good things that came from playgroup:

• I showered, got dressed, did makeup, put in contacts, and got out of the house. Eliza and I were both dressed by 8:00--not sure the last time that happened. (Or if that has ever happened!) 
• Lots of sunshine. I'll definitely bring my sunglasses and a hat for Eliza next time. It was all I could do to keep her from getting sunburned.
• I met a nonmember and had a good chat with her. She's a neighbor of one of the women in the ward that is a playgroup regular. Sarah was a really fun, chill lady--I hope she comes again next week.
• I got to talk to Stephanie. I accompanied her in sacrament meeting on Sunday and she's the best candidate I've found to fill my 'bosom-friend' void. Certainly a potential kindred spirit. I hope that we can maybe get together tomorrow while Blake's studying for the GMAT. 

Well I hope you're all having a lovely Friday afternoon. The kids will be out of school in a few hours and then it's full steam ahead with weekend partying. (Except for poor Kyndal who got her wisdom teeth out. Hope you're healing up well!) Happy Friday.

President's Day Part 1 - My First Consignment Sale

Have you ever heard the word consignment? I hadn't until I left Utah. Apparently it's the non-Utah word for Kid to Kid, DI, Savers, or the like. I haven't been to any physical consignment stores yet, but Blake's cousin McKenna told me about Divine Consign--a travelling consignment sale for clothes, toys, and gear for moms and kids. It happens twice a year - once for spring/summer, and once for fall/winter. McKenna had good things to say about it so I went to check it out on President's Day.

Guys. I about started crying. Imagine Ross Dress for Less on 75% off. *angelic choruses* Beth, you're getting choked up as we speak. Don't deny it. :)

Divine Consign is very picky about the clothes they will resell--no holes, no stains, not too worn, etc. I was really impressed with the quality of the clothes and the prices were UNBELIEVABLE. For the benefit of the grandmas and aunts (particularly Brynn), here's a small glimpse at what came home with me.

Carter's Swimsuit

brand new with tags ($34.00) and hygienic liner

$8.00

Little Tots Shirt; Carters Legging

$2.00

Circo shirt and shorts

$3.00

Carters Shirt and Leggings

$0.75

From left to right - Circo, Gymboree, Skechers

$1.00; $2.00; $0.50

Carters Shirt and Garanimals Leggings

$1.13

I did "splurge" and buy a few things that weren't on 50% or 75% clearance

Baby Gap Dress

$9.00

(I'm not sure $9 for a Baby Gap dress qualifies as a splurge, but whatever.)

3 pack of Okie Dokie White Onesies

$1.25

All in all, I got 6 dresses, 10 shirts, 10 pants or shorts, 5 pairs of shoes, and a swimsuit for less than $80. Talk about the windows of heaven pouring out blessings! I don't mean this irreverently, but God sure is nice! I guess the better way to say it is that He absolutely delights to bless us. I'm sure it's one of His most fun and favorite jobs. I also love and appreciate that if little things matter to us, they matter to Him. For example, Heavenly Father knows me and knows how stressful shopping can be for me sometimes. So He inspires and motivates some awesome Christian women in Texas to spearhead this massive sale twice a year (that blesses the lives of countless moms here in the Dallas Fort-Worth area!). Then leads McKenna to the sale and inspires her to lead ME to it and then blesses me with ambition on the day of the sale to help me go check it out even though navigating is sometimes daunting. See what I mean? With all the things He has to do, it's amazing how much He goes about taking care of 'the one.' That 'one' is me, and it's you. I'm so grateful for a loving Father.

Have a great day!

Eliza's Mischief

Eliza is a hoot. She keeps us laughing and she certainly keeps us on our toes. Here are just a few of her latest shenanigans.

I call the first shenanigan the Bumbomobile. (Hey Jake... three letters away from a palindrome! Too bad bumbomobmub doesn't make any sense.) Wear the Bumbo on the go! Eliza is quite the chunk these days. I mean QUITE the chunk. While adorable, this can pose a few logistic problems in her life, including getting stuck in the Bumbo and getting clotheslined by the waistband of her pants. In this picture she was trying to shake the Bumbo off of her bum and thought it was hilarious. Not technically mischievous, but hilarious nonetheless.

The second shenanigan is due to her desire to be helpful in the kitchen. I appreciate the thought, but sometimes the execution is a little... drive-you-nuts-esque? The following baby proofing contraption has saved mine and Eliza's relationship. I can now make dinner without Eliza opening the fridge and rifling through whatever suits her fancy. It is truly wonderful.

The fridge safety belt (as I call it) came in a two pack and I thought, "Hallelujah! I can also secure the pantry!" But Blake's worried about the sticky stuff leaving bad residue on the wood, so I've resisted. I've tried to train Eliza to not get into the pantry, but I guess the temptation is just too much for her sometimes. Yesterday, enough was enough and in a moment of desperation, I rigged this solution:

Right as I was taking this picture, Eliza comes exploring into the kitchen and, as always, made her way to the pantry. I was able to switch it right to video and catch her first attempt at opening the pantry. I can't get the video to upload on the blog, so I'll just have to redirect you to the youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNQC0r_EKRQ&feature=youtu.be

Ever heard the phrase, "Necessity is the mother of invention"? Ingenuity for the win. Enjoy raiding the tupperware while you can, Lizie. I may just have another stroke of genius up my sleeve.

Valentine's Day

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to just be people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey…delays…sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling burst of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”  - Jenkins Lloyd Jones, as quoted by President Gordon B. Hinckley

Mr. Jones is right; bliss isn't normal. But bliss does happen and sometimes you're just lucky enough to capture it with a camera:

For being a man who hates Valentine's Day, Blake sure planned something fun for his two valentines this year. A note I found in the morning informed me that we had dinner plans and asked that I have myself and Eliza ready to venture outside when Blake got home from work. It was fun to anticipate and be excited about it all day! Once he got home from work, we grabbed our BYU picnic blanket courtesy of Aunt Elaine and took a short stroller ride to the lake behind our apartment. We enjoyed an al fresco dinner, Costa Vida style. (Note:  there was MUCH rejoicing when we found out we have a Costa Vida out here! There are only two in Texas and we're close to both of them!)

Eliza evidently enjoyed herself.

We couldn't stay out very long because Eliza had to get to bed, but it was fun and chill and a break from the norm--nothing could be better. Once she was down for the night, we just spent time together playing games, laughing, chatting, snuggling--everything that I love. Thanks, Blake, for a fun and memorable day! Life with you just keeps getting better. I love you!

Quote Source:
*“Big Rock Candy Mountains,” Deseret News, 12 June 1973, A4
*Hinckley, G.B. "A Conversation with Single Adults," Ensign, Mar 1997. http://www.lds.org/ensign/1997/03/a-conversation-with-single-adults?lang=eng

Missing the Fam

It has happened two nights in a row:  I got trunky for home. Last night, it was a song that came on in the radio--Roar, by Katy Perry. I used to hate it. Then I became converted as I watched my my brother and sister-in-law tear it up via karaoke over Christmas. Hearing it last night made me miss Dan and especially Karen (sorry Dan...) but I was able to smile, shake off the blues, and enjoy the song in the car. I'd received a package and email from Karen earlier in the day and the recent communication made her feel not too far away. (Thanks, Karen!)

Tonight, I don't even want to try to shake off the blues. Blake's gone to an activity for Young Mens (in a 'catch-up' post, I'll tell you that he got called as the Priest advisor) and so there's no reason to be reasonable and hold myself together. (Instead, I'll publish to my entire extended family that I broke down like a little girl... since that makes so much sense.) Eliza doesn't mind me crying--in fact, she cried a fair bit today herself so I don't feel bad. (Did I just compare my emotional fortitude to that of a one-year-old? Oh dear.) I was singing to her as she drank her bottle. There were all of the usuals--I love to see the temple, I am like a star shining brightly... But then I ventured to A Child's Prayer. And Beth wasn't there to sing the duet with me. And my voice stopped because I couldn't sing past the lump in my throat. And I lost it.

I cried for a little bit and talked softly with Eliza--she's a good listener--and then I put her down for bed. Hoping for a distraction, I went to the computer to check my email, only to find an email from Dad Hull with 15 pictures of Courtney.

Dang it.

And so I let myself cry for a little bit and miss my parents and brothers and sisters from both sides and think of them and yearn for them and wish I could hug them tight enough for it to hurt. Then I jumped on the blog because writing makes me feel better. ...Which brings us to this sentence--looks like you're up to speed.

In a conversation with Grandma Hull before we left, she said to me, "Things will be good. There will be hard days where you think, 'I just want my mommy!' and you want to sit down and cry. But other days will be so, so good."

My goodness, she's prophetic. (Seriously Hull Family... Is there any problem Grandma doesn't have a soft and kind piece of advice for? Such a wise woman. We ought to make a plaque:  When in doubt, ask Grandma.) I'm generally happy here in Texas. But in some days and moments, the distance between me and those I love doesn't feel around the corner--it feels across the globe. (An accurate estimate, in Courtney's case.) But I know that another day soon will be so good. And it will probably be tomorrow.

Here's a look at what I've been missing. I've enjoyed going back through my pictures tonight.

Aunt Beth and her Girlies
This past Christmas at the Condo

Aunt Brynn with The Cutest Christmas Present Ever

Being Goobers after venturing up to Bridal Veil Falls
while they were staying with us for a few days

Good grief. I love these people.

And these people. All 18 of them. (Gosh we're growing!)

Max's Baptism - what an amazing day!
(Crazy that Eliza is now almost as big as little Will on my lap...)

Arguably one of my favorite pictures of all time.

This would also go in the aforementioned category.

A dynamic duo

Farming at it's finest

The cutest couple on the cruise ship *snicker snicker*

Okay. So maybe Aaron and Beth are the second cutest couple...

Well Family, I love you. That is all. :)

Letters to Home

For the sake of personal history, I'm including a letter that I wrote to my parents and Beth that first night in New Mexico. Give it a read if you're interested. Some of the stuff isn't all that important, but my written stream of consciousness kind of indicates how dazed/fried I was that night. The previous week had been a blur and I felt like it was my first moment in days to sit down "without anything to pack, clean, or fret over."

Hello, Beloveds!

Here's a bulleted list of more-or-less notable pieces of information:

-We're in a suite at La Quinta in Tucumcari (try saying that out loud without feeling like an idiot...), really close to the Texas border. We had dinner tonight at Denny's--a place that's sure to have comfort food in abundance, wouldn't you say? I had slow cooked roast beef and potatoes. [Unnecessary information?...] The best part was that Eliza is New Mexico's new favorite visitor. No joke, no exaggeration--we had at least FIVE people come up, "oo" and "ah," want to touch Eliza, beg her for smiles, and beg US to let us take her home. She's a HUGE novelty. Some of the waitresses would go out of their way to pass our table one more time just to get a look at her. It was just really cute and it made us even more proud as parents. One thing I thought was cute, there was a girl a little older than Eliza across the way from us that started to scream bloody murder at something or another. One of the waitresses who had already been by twice, passed again as she came out of the kitchen and said, "I thought, 'There's NO WAY that scream was coming out of that sweet baby. I was right, thank goodness." Yep--Eliza was the favorite. Apparently we're not biased. :)

-We were blessed with a tender mercy right off the bat. Blake thought to check the oil before we left and if he hadn't, I think our sweet corolla may have taken a "massive MHP" [for the Hull Family, a massive MHP is a phrase coined by my brother Jake, which stands for "Make Him Pay" and could be defined as a powerful and very serious beating or shalacking] that she may not have recovered from. The Lord is looking out for us and we're being blessed with the Spirit.

-Did you know that New Mexico's state nickname is "The Land of Enchantment"? #1: How silly. Is this a barren wasteland, or Disneyland? I can't be sure... #2: Perhaps all the enchantment is hidden underneath shrubs and thistles? Or in Santa Fe?

-I dare you to spell this word without using spell check or the internet: AL-BUH-KER-KEY. Anyone who can do it wins a free flight to Texas. (Brought to you by Warren Buffet and friends. ;) Did you know he owns BNSF? Go figure. I'm glad we'll be contributing to his extensive wealth.)

-Lizie was a TOTAL CHAMP today--your prayers and our prayers have been answered! I think she has even been enjoying herself! Especially because I ended up driving most of today with Blake taking charge of Eliziatic entertainment. :) It was the cutest thing to see him back there being the best dad ever. I just felt a little piece of heaven as I would glance into the rear-view mirror and see Blake singing songs, reading books, and playing with Eliza. He was enjoying it a lot, too. He doesn't get to play Mr. Mom very often. 

Anyway, tender mercy and literal miracle:  Eliza stayed SPOT ON her schedule today. Every feeding, every nap (uninterrupted naps, mind you!), and going down for the night. I am so, so, so grateful that she has been blessed with flexibility and resilience for this trip. Especially today with 13 hours of driving. 

-I drove a huge chunk of today because I was having trouble with carsickness. Worse than I've had in a long time. I would WAY rather drive ALL day than feel like that while also having to take care of Eliza. I think that's the real clincher--having to rummage around for toys, food, bottles, etc. while sitting in the back seat. YIKES. I'm planning to drive again tomorrow if I can.

-"Conditioning shampoo" is a total joke. My hair is screaming for moisture. I'd rather have it scream for that than scream for relief from the grease pit of doom. Yep--groddie hair on the drive today. Even if it's dry, I'm so grateful it's clean now!

-Although my hair was nasty, my body was clean (thank goodness). This is why:  I slept for about 3 hours last night, then work up at 1:45 and couldn't ever get back to sleep. I felt nasty from all the apartment cleaning and I was DYING for a shower. So, I snuck out of bed, crept into the bathroom to get a spare towel, went to the downstairs bathroom so I wouldn't wake up Mom, Dad, or Blake, and... I took a shower. :) It was glorious. I'm so grateful I did! It made all the difference in the car today to not feel like a sicko! [Turns out I actually DID wake up Mom and Dad and who knows who else... Sorry guys! I thought for sure I'd be safe sneaking downstairs!]

-I haven't cried at all today. Not one tear. It was hard to say goodbye to all of the sisters last night, but I've been doing well today. It's amazing to see how much I've grown in the last little while. Blake gave me a beautiful priesthood blessing a week or so ago and I have seen the Lord's hand very specifically blessing and taking care of me. It is a testimony to me that this decision must be right for us at this time in our life because I'm not a complete basketcase. Either that or the reality of this hasn't quite sunk in? Perhaps both, but either way, I KNOW I am being blessed, and I will continue to be blessed with what I need in order to meet this challenge.

God is good, and so very wise. I love you so much. Talk to you soon! I better go get some sleep while I have a chance. It has been nice to have a moment to sit down without anything to pack, clean, or fret over. Just a few quiet moments with clean hair, a clean body, and a comfy couch in a hotel suite. I love you!

Love, Annie

P.S. The next time I write, I'm going to be a crazy Texan!

Getting to Texas

What better way to start this enterprise than with a 20+ hour car drive?? Road trip, baby!

Southern Utah looks so much prettier covered in snow
This was the sky lighting up in Southern Utah the morning we left (started driving around 4:30 AM)

We stared at our beloved Ford Escort for 1200 miles.
A huge thank you to Dad Hull for driving the Uhaul every single mile!

We tried to let Eliza play for a few minutes and stretch her legs every time we got gas.
She was such a trooper the whole way there!

After 13 hours, we stopped in New Mexico and stayed in a hotel suite (definitely the nicest hotel room I've ever been in!) so we could have a sleeping area for Dad that was a wall away from Eliza. I'm not sure the hide-a-bed coupled with Eliza's nighttime adventures made for a very luxurious night sleep for Dad, but he didn't complain at all. Always such a cheery guy!

Day 2:

Entering Texas. If you look closely you can see the Texas flag on that sign that we're approaching.
This picture shows how big the sky looks when you don't have mountains. It feels so huge!

We saw our first BNSF locomotive as we entered Texas! Definitely an exciting moment for us.

I tell you what, folks. This girl was an absolute CHAMP.
She stuck to her schedule on the dot and was so patient with the whole experience.

I think part of the magic for her was that she got to play so much with Blake. I struggled with some pretty hardcore car sickness so Blake let me drive most of the way and he'd climb from the front seat to the back (a feat to be sure!) to play with Eliza, feed her, put her down for naps, etc. She doesn't get that kind of extended one-on-one time with Dad very often!

We finally rolled into our apartment complex around 4 in the afternoon and everything started feeling very real and exciting! Future Resident Parking--that's us!! We squared away some paperwork, got our keys, and commenced the unpacking. 2 sets of cousins came and helped us haul everything up 3 stories to our apartment. The wives kept the kids (Eliza, Alyssa, Axel, and Zoe) entertained and out of the way while the men-folk did the hauling. Bless their souls.
It's so, so nice to have family, even away from home!

So we made it to Texas, and it's amazing how much I wasn't a basketcase about it. (Those of you who read my other blog will remember the month of more-or-less frenetic posts regarding moving to Bluffdale.) Seriously, that first night in New Mexico, Blake made the comment that he had assumed that day was going to be the most miserable of our life and he wouldn't have blamed me if I'd cried all the way to the Texas border. Frankly, I thought that'd probably be the case, too. But as my mom would say, you're not safe from surprise until you're dead, and I certainly surprised us all this time. It turns out the Ether wasn't just blowing hot air in chapter 12 verse 27:

I give unto weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

His grace is sufficient. I'm living proof of that. If we let Him, He'll rise us to heights we've never known and make greater things of us than we can possibly now imagine.

So It Begins

I'd like to start at the beginning of our adventure. It's always a little hard to play catch-up, but I really want this blog to be a complete (ish) account documenting our time here in Texas.

Rather than spelling out the whole story, I'll just let you take a small look at our December and January calendar:

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat
15 (Dec)	16 Finals start	17 Fly-out to Walmart (AR)	18 Return from AR	19 Phone interview with BNSF	20 Blake finishes his degree	21
22 Fly-out to BNSF (TX)	23 Return from TX	24	25	26 Job offer from BNSF	27 Accepted Job Offer; inform Walmart	28
29 A blur of cancelling contracts, signing new contracts, holidays, spending time with family, figuring out documentation for work and relocation packages, tying up loose ends, figuring out when and how to get ourselves and our stuff to Texas, packing, and cleaning.	30	31	1 (Jan)	2	3	4
5	6	7 Moved out of apartment	8 Drove 13+ hours	9 Drove 9+ hours to arrive in Texas. Moved in.	10	11
12	13 Blake started training	14	15	16	17	18

Kind of a wild ride, huh. Blake got the job offer from BNSF and two weeks later, we were sitting in the living room of our apartment in Texas, surrounded by boxes and wondering what in the world just happened.

Through October and November, we were pretty concerned that we weren't really hearing back from the companies Blake was applying for. He had done so much with networking, applying to jobs, following up--everything you're supposed to do--and we just hadn't been able to secure a good job anywhere that would be a good career launch for Blake. 

Remember Elder Bednar's talk from the most recent General Conference?:

We may need and pray for help to find suitable employment. Eyes and ears of faith are needed, however, to recognize the spiritual gift of enhanced discernment that can empower us to identify job opportunities that many other people might overlook—or the blessing of greater personal determination to search harder and longer for a position than other people may be able or willing to do. We might want and expect a job offer, but the blessing that comes to us through heavenly windows may be greater capacity to act and change our own circumstances rather than expecting our circumstances to be changed by someone or something else.

One Sunday in November, we discussed this together and I was so impressed and humbled to see Blake respond the next day with an aggressive push to find and secure a great job for our family--a push that didn't let up. His efforts to change our circumstances were magnified and blessed, and here we are in Texas. Looking back, I'm grateful that things didn't work out right from the get-go... that we really had to work to see this one through. We were able to learn some important things as a partnership about relying on each other and on the Lord.

Our road took us to a different place than either of us imagined, but it's the right place to be. Texas has been good to us and we're ready to make it home for the next little while.

Just Around the Corner

So here we are--a blog for our Texas adventures. Perhaps someday I'll make it aesthetically pleasing, but for now, you can enjoy our white screen and title. If I waited until the blog was cute, I might never start.

I began my first blog with a few warnings, and I'd like to give you a few now as well.

• Expect some cheese now and then. I'm a sentimental person... cheese happens. I'm also a passionate person which lends itself to occasional soapboxing. I hope you don't mind.
• If there were a pie chart for the percentage of my day devoted to certain activities, diaper changing and related miscellaneous hygienic duties would comprise a major bulk of the pie chart, so please forgive me if some of that makes it into reportable news. I'll try to keep the TMI to a minimum, but if I'm sharing too much, send me a friendly email asking me to be more decorous. I can take it.
• I hope to post regularly, but sometimes I clam up in my writer's shell and can't find anything to say. Emotional writer's block... it happens to the best of us.
• I'm kind of a picky writer--I like to take the time to say exactly what I mean with exactly the words I want to use. But since having Eliza I've learned I have to sacrifice the masterpiece if I'm ever going to get a word in between naps, so I'm learning to appreciate the transparency and transcendence in unpolished writing.

If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to alert you. I hope you find it an entertaining read and that my posts help the 1200 miles between Texas and Utah feel like just a few. We're just around the corner, you know. :)